3. I don't need any super performance. I just need something that installs, doesn't bite back and works.

Do you have any experience with easy to install USB wireless adapters, especially if you have installed them several times? The newegg reviews are all over the place, I think because of widely varying levels of sophistication. I just find them not useful.

SPRC on the other hand are much more consistently sophisticated with respect to what they know and their self awareness of what they don't know.

I have used a few over the years, but I can't remember what brand/model. I'm sure the last two were linksys - they were on sale at Office Max / Depot and were bought at the same time.

I've never installed the software that comes with them though. Preferring instead to let windows manage my wireless networking setting. When you plug the USB adapter in, Windows should let you know and try to install drivers. I've always just told Windows where to look (the driver CD). And then you manage it through 'Network Connections' in the Control Panel.

Tell us more about your physical environment, your router/AP, and your client PC.

I've never installed the software that comes with them though. Preferring instead to let windows manage my wireless networking setting. When you plug the USB adapter in, Windows should let you know and try to install drivers. I've always just told Windows where to look (the driver CD). And then you manage it through 'Network Connections' in the Control Panel.

If it is still using the same driver, won't you have the same performance problems?

If it is still using the same driver, won't you have the same performance problems?

Maybe! But this might help your "I had installation problems..." comment. I don't know what Trend software gets installed. Just the driver? Or extra stuff too? The CD included with the linksys USB adapters I've used include linksys management software. It never worked any better than what comes included with WinXP. I actually found it less responsive. I dislike bloat and try to avoid it.

But installation method shouldn't result in connection loss. Explain more what happens when it drops. Do you have decent signal strength and quality?

ces wrote:

I have two linksys wireless routers. One is a G and the other is a G & N.

Do you need both of them for sufficient coverage? Maybe your USB adapter is trying to associate with both? What if you temporarily drop one of the routers? But, I forgot that you wrote:

Quote:

I have another Hawking USB wireless adapter that uses different software and probably a different chip, it seems to work OK

This is with the same 2-router setup? That would suggest it's not a problem with your routers/APs.

I can guess the answer is "no", but is there any chance you can run cable?

The new hawking adapter keeps dropping out from connections with the N/G router. It seems OK with the G router.

But the software functions so goofy. I think I am telling it to reconnect. It seems to. But there is no way to tell it with certainty what to do. Sort of like riding a horse with its own mind.

People actually get paid money to write software like this - amazing. It doesn't speak well of the so called efficiency of a market economy. Whoever wrote this software should be doing janitorial work.
And somewhere there is a janitor that should be writing this software.

The new hawking adapter keeps dropping out from connections with the N/G router. It seems OK with the G router.

I've never worked with two AP's like this. I assume the two have different SSID's? And you pick which one to associate with?

Is there something in between the USB adapter(s) and the g/n AP that would block/attenuate the signal? Like lots of metal? Refrigerator, etc.? I once had my wireless AP next to a metal file cabinet, and got horrible reception in every direction except for line-of-sight.

If you don't need the g/n AP, can you still return it? You mentioned it was too expensive and the NAS feature never worked properly either. Maybe you just got a crap AP and your USB adapters are fine?

ces wrote:

But the software functions so goofy. I think I am telling it to reconnect. It seems to. But there is no way to tell it with certainty what to do. Sort of like riding a horse with its own mind.

The biggest jump in performance/reliability I achieved was by replacing 11g entirely in favour of a Buffalo nFiniti 11n HP wireless access point, and Buffalo nFiniti 11n WLI-UC-G300HP usb adaptors. I use the Buffalo client software too, although the Vista/Windows version is someone better than the one for XP. To get the best out of this hardware you do need to set both the router and USB adaptors to 300Mbps mode 11n, it defaults to 150Mbps. Buffalo at least admit that this is a signalling rate, and not an actual speed. But I find that wireless transfers between PCs are way faster than they were with 11g.

So it may be that matching routers/APs/client usb adaptors from the same manufacturer make a big difference, probably more with 11n than 11g.

The 300Mbs 11n setup involves channel bonding, and while you can let the access point pick the channels automatically, some manual tuning can help. Using inSSIDer http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider to check what channels neighbouring APs were using I found that it was best to manually set the AP to channels with no/little conflict with others. Particularly as the Buffalo does stick out a big juicy signal.

I'm not at home so I can't look at the last wireless adapter I bought.

_________________.Please put a country in your profile if you haven't already.This site is international but I'll assume you are in the US if you don't tell me otherwise.RAID levels thread http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=388987

get rid of 1 router/AP. Start by using only the G router, since you already know it works.

download recent drivers for the adapters, a) the TEW-424UB's comes as a ZIP file. Extract this to a folder. Do NOT install anything yet. b) the HWDN2's also comes as a ZIP file. Extract this to a folder. Do NOT install anything yet.

uninstall all the drivers and any software that came with either USB adapters.

Windows will discover new hardware and start the installation process. Don't cancel this. When it asks for the driver, you will need to tell Windows where the INF file resides for your own OS. * Hawking example on XP: ../HWDN2revE_Driver-Win2K-7/88_91_92_SU_Driver/WinXP

Go to Control Panel -> Network Connections ... do you see your USB Wireless adapter listed?

Any additional management software will be in Add/Remove Programs - get rid of it first. The driver may be there too. But often, when you uninstall the device through device manager, Windows will uninstall the driver as well.

R-Click on My Computer and select manage. R-click on your USB adapter(s) and uninstall. It should look like this:

Oh, and be careful in there - device manager is powerful and "with great power ..."

(a) NetStumbler does not report 11n network speeds correctly
(b) It does not report the type of 11n encryption accurately e.g. as WEP when it is WPA2
(c) Does not give the vendor information accurately, if at all
(d) You do not get, as you do with inSSIDer, a graph with a plot for each Wireless Access Point overlaid on it but instead a separate graph for each WAP
(e) NetStumbler's power output graph is not as detailed as inSSIDer's
(f) It does not work correctly with Vista or Windows 7

So essentially NetStumbler is a dead product, and inSSIDer is the one to use. Like NetSumbler, inSSIDer is free.

I have D-Link DSL-G604T wireless router together with a DWL-G122 wireless USB adaptor as a kit. With the wireless adaptor plugged in to PC and the router right next to it, I could get a perfect connection for it so there is no problem regarding connection.

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